December 30, 2012

The NFL Championship game on December 30, 1962 featured
the same two teams who had faced off for the title in ’61 – the Green Bay
Packers and New York Giants. In that instance, the Packers had blown the Giants
out by a 37-0 score at Green Bay. Now they were meeting on New York’s home turf
in the rematch.

The Packers, under Head Coach Vince Lombardi, had gone
13-1 in placing at the top of the Western Conference for the third straight
year. Hard-hitting FB Jim Taylor had a MVP season as he led the NFL in rushing
with 1474 yards (the first NFL runner not named Jim Brown to do so since 1956)
and scored a record 19 touchdowns. QB Bart Starr was the league’s top-rated
passer and the offensive line was outstanding. Even the off-year for HB Paul
Hornung, who had won three straight scoring titles from 1959 to ’61 but was
hampered by a bad knee, could not derail the offense, and All-Pro G Jerry
Kramer (pictured above) had taken over Hornung’s placekicking responsibilities. The defense was
just as strong and yielded the fewest points in the NFL.

Head Coach Allie Sherman’s Giants came in first in the
Eastern Conference at 12-2, winning their last nine games in doing so. The
brilliant passing of QB Y.A. Tittle was the key to the offense – he had set a
new NFL record with 33 TD passes and had excellent targets in split end Del
Shofner, flanker Frank Gifford, and TE Joe Walton. FB Alex Webster was
effective both running the ball and as a receiver out of the backfield. The
veteran defense was solid.

There were 64,892 in attendance at frigid Yankee Stadium.
Temperatures were in the teens and with winds gusting as high as 45 mph, the
wind chill was below zero. Traction was difficult on the frozen turf and
whirlwinds of dust occasionally blew about.

The Giants had first possession and reached their own 46
before having to punt. Jerry Kramer put
the Packers on the board with a 26-yard field goal midway through the first
quarter after Green Bay drove 61 yards to the 19 yard line and Jim Taylor was
stopped for no gain on third down and short.

The Giants threatened, driving to the Green Bay 15. However,
MLB Ray Nitschke deflected a Tittle pass that was intercepted by LB Dan Currie
to end the threat and returned it 30 yards before falling. Following the
interception, the Packers advanced to the New York 30 but Kramer missed a field
goal try from 37 yards.

A punt by Max McGee was nearly blocked by CB Erich Barnes
but the rushed kick went only 23 yards. Two plays later, HB Phil King fumbled
when hit by Currie and Nitschke recovered at the New York 28. The Packers
capitalized as Paul Hornung tossed an option pass to flanker Boyd Dowler for 21
yards and Taylor followed up with a seven-yard touchdown run up the middle (pictured below).

Now late in the second quarter, the Giants responded by
moving into Green Bay territory. However, Don Chandler attempted a 47-yard
field goal for the Giants that went wide of the mark. The Packers took a 10-0
lead into halftime.

Early in the third quarter, Green Bay’s offense couldn’t advance
the ball while backed up deep in its own territory. With the Packers punting
from their own 15 yard line, Barnes broke through this time to block McGee’s
kick and end Jim Collier fell on the loose ball in the end zone for a New York
touchdown after LB Bill Forester was unable to scoop it up at the five (picture below shows Barnes at right just before blocking the punt). With
the successful extra point, it was a three-point game.

Once again the Packers couldn’t move on offense, but
McGee’s line-drive punt was muffed by DB Sam Horner and Nitschke recovered at
the New York 42. The five-play series culminated in a 29-yard field goal by
Kramer.

The Giants, now down by six, drove into Green Bay
territory with the help of penalties. From the Green Bay 47, Tittle threw a
pass intended for Del Shofner that fell incomplete. However, FS Willlie Wood
was charged with pass interference and when he leaped up to protest he
inadvertently knocked the official, back judge Thomas Kelleher, to the ground.
It resulted in Wood’s ejection and another 15 yard penalty on the Packers that
advanced the ball to the 18. Tittle overthrew Shofner and the Giants followed
up with a double reverse in which King lateraled back to Tittle who was under
pressure from DE Willie Davis and threw a bad pass that was almost picked off
by Currie. Two holding calls on the Giants moved the ball all the way back to
the 40. On third-and-52, Tittle threw short for flanker Frank Gifford, who
dropped it. The Giants came up empty.

Early in the fourth quarter, HB Elijah Pitts returned a
punt 36 yards and nearly broke it all the way. Bart Starr passed the Packers
down to the New York 27 but they lost ground from there and Kramer was
unsuccessful on a 40-yard field goal try.

The Giants were unable to move on offense and punted.
Taking over at their 28, the Packers kept the ball on the ground and reached
the New York 24. With 1:50 remaining in the game, Kramer kicked his third field
goal to effectively seal the win for the Packers. The Giants drove to the Green
Bay seven on their last possession before time ran out. Green Bay was the
champion once again by a score of 16-7.

The Giants outgained Green Bay (291 yards to 244) and the
clubs were even in first downs with 18 apiece. The Packers were more successful
at running the ball (148 yards to 94) and New York turned the ball over three
times while Green Bay’s offense suffered none.

Jim Taylor had a hard-earned 85 yards on 31 carries that
included a touchdown and gained 20 more yards on three pass receptions.
Moreover, he engaged in a personal battle in the trenches with New York’s
defense (most notably star MLB Sam Huff), often exchanging words and
exemplifying the game’s intensity. Bart Starr completed just 9 of 21 passes for
85 yards while Paul Hornung, who contributed 35 yards on 8 rushing attempts,
also tossed a key halfback option pass for a 21-yard gain. Boyd Dowler led the
Green Bay receivers with 4 catches for 48 yards. Ray Nitschke recovered two
fumbles and had the pass deflection that was intercepted and was named MVP of
the game by Sport Magazine.

As if the wind was not enough, Y.A. Tittle (pictured below) was under
constant pressure throughout the game. He was successful on 18 of 41 throws for
197 yards with no TDs and one interception. Joe Walton and Del Shofner had 5
catches apiece, for 75 and 69 yards, respectively. Alex Webster ran for 56
yards on 15 carries and Phil King added 38 yards on 11 attempts.

Summing up, Vince Lombardi stated that his team’s “defense
was superb and so was New York’s.”

“Green Bay is obviously a worthy champion, because they
have things they had to overcome and they went out there and overcame them and
got the points,” said Allie Sherman from the losing side.

The Packers barely missed out on winning the Western
Conference again in 1963, finishing a close second to the Chicago Bears. They
would win their next league title in 1965. New York topped the Eastern Conference
yet again in ’63, but once more fell short in the Championship game. In two title games, the Giants failed to
score a single offensive touchdown against Green Bay.

December 29, 2012

The two teams that met for the championship of the
American Football League on December 29, 1968 had already met several weeks
earlier with memorable results. In the so-called “Heidi Game”, in which
television viewers on the East Coast had the last few minutes of the contest
pre-empted by a showing of the children’s classic “Heidi”, the Oakland Raiders
had scored twice in short order to defeat the New York Jets. Now they were
matched up again at New York’s home venue.

The Jets, built into a winning team by Head Coach Weeb
Ewbank, had topped the Eastern Division with an 11-3 record. The explosive
offense was directed by QB Joe Namath (pictured above), who had outstanding targets in wide
receivers Don Maynard and George Sauer as well as TE Pete Lammons. The ground
game was sound with FB Matt Snell and HB Emerson Boozer. The overlooked defense
was especially tough against the run and contained AFL All-Stars in ends Gerry
Philbin and Verlon Biggs, DT John Elliott, and MLB Al Atkinson. PK Jim Turner,
who kicked a record 34 field goals, added a further scoring dimension.

The Raiders, under Head Coach John Rauch, were the
defending AFL Champions. Despite a spate of injuries, they had gone 12-2 but
still had to defeat the Chiefs in a playoff to again win the Western Division.
QB Daryle Lamonica was still highly effective with his passing and, in addition
to WR Fred Biletnikoff, had a new and speedy deep threat in WR Warren Wells. Rookie
HB Charlie Smith entered the starting lineup at midseason with good result.
With CB Kent McCloughan out due to knee surgery, rookie CB George Atkinson showed
potential but had been burned badly by Maynard in the previous encounter.

Weather conditions were windy and cold at Shea Stadium,
where 62,627 fans were present. The Raiders had constructed a small makeshift
shelter for their players, but AFL President Milt Woodard ordered it taken down
because it was obstructing the view for several rows of fans.

Oakland had the first possession and was forced to punt,
with Mike Eischeid’s poor 28-yard kick giving the Jets good initial field
position. With Pete Lammons and Emerson Boozer spread wide, New York moved 44
yards in four plays. Namath hit Don Maynard twice for 14-yard completions, the
second good for a touchdown. In between, a pass interference call on Atkinson
helped the drive along.

The Raiders missed a scoring opportunity when George
Blanda attempted a 45-yard field goal into the wind that hit the crossbar and
bounced away. Late in the first quarter, Jim Turner added a 33-yard field goal
to make it 10-0 in favor of the Jets.

Daryle Lamonica (pictured at left) got off to a poor start, completing just
one of his first 13 passes. But the Raiders began to move offensively late in
the opening period as Lamonica started to find the range. He completed a screen
pass to HB Pete Banaszak for 11 yards and followed up with throws to Fred
Biletnikoff for 15 yards and to FB Hewritt Dixon for 23 yards on the first play
of the second quarter. A pass to Biletnikoff, running a post pattern, was good
for a 29-yard touchdown as he outmaneuvered CB Johnny Sample (Sample was
subsequently replaced by Cornell Gordon).

Turner missed a 44-yard field goal attempt but connected
from 36 yards late in the second quarter. Blanda booted a 25-yard field goal
just before halftime to narrow the tally to 13-10 at the intermission.

In the third quarter, Warren Wells caught a pass for a
40-yard gain before being brought down by SS Jim Hudson at the New York six.
The aroused Jets defense held on the next
three plays as Charlie Smith was downed at the three and again after another
gain of a yard, and Dixon was stopped on the third down play at the one. Oakland
was forced to settle for a Blanda field goal and a tie score of 13-13.

With just under a minute remaining in the period, the
Jets culminated a 14-play, 80-yard drive with Namath tossing a 20-yard touchdown
pass to TE Pete Lammons to re-take the lead. The Raiders surged back as Lamonica
completed a pass to Biletnikoff for a 57-yard gain and Blanda kicked a 20-yard
field goal.

On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Atkinson
intercepted a Namath pass and returned it 32 yards to the New York five.
Banaszak scored a five-yard TD that put Oakland in the lead by 23-20. The Jets
struck back swiftly. Following a 10-yard completion to Sauer, Namath fired to
Maynard for a 52-yard gain and again to Maynard for a six-yard TD with 7:47
remaining in the game.

Oakland drove to the New York 24, but chose to try and
convert a fourth-and-ten and Lamonica was sacked by Verlon Biggs. With two
minutes to go, the Raiders were again threatening to move back in front.
Lamonica passes to Biletnikoff for 24 yards and Wells for 37 advanced the ball
to the New York 12. But a lateral intended for Smith went awry and LB Ralph
Baker recovered it for the Jets to extinguish the threat.

The Raiders had one last chance with 42 seconds remaining
as they took over at their 22 yard line but fell short after advancing to near
midfield. The Jets were AFL Champions by a score of 27-23.

Oakland had the edge in total yards (443 to 400) although
the Jets had more first downs (25 to 18). New York was effective against the
running game as the Raiders gained just 50 yards on the ground. The teams
punted a combined 17 times, with the Jets accounting for 10.

Joe Namath completed 19 of 49 passes for 266 yards with
three touchdowns and an interception. George Sauer (pictured below) caught 7 of those passes for
70 yards while Don Maynard gained 118 yards and scored two TDs on his 6
receptions. Matt Snell rushed for 71 yards on 19 carries and Emerson Boozer
contributed 51 yards on 11 attempts.

For the Raiders, Daryle Lamonica went to the air 47 times
and had 20 completions for 401 yards and a touchdown. Fred Biletnikoff had 7
catches for 190 yards and a TD and Warren Wells added 83 yards on his three
receptions. Hewritt Dixon ran for 42 yards on 8 carries and added another 48
yards on 5 catches. Charlie Smith was held to just a yard on five rushing
attempts.

The Jets went on to pull off a huge Super Bowl upset of
the NFL Champion Baltimore Colts and repeated as Eastern Division champs in
1969. Oakland again placed first in the Western Division in ’69 but, due to a
revised playoff format for the AFL’s last pre-merger season that allowed second
place teams to qualify, ended up losing again in the league title game, this
time to the Chiefs, who had finished behind them in the standings.

December 27, 2012

The NFC Wild Card Playoff game on December 27, 1997
featured the New York Giants, who had gone from last to first in the NFC East,
against the visiting Minnesota Vikings, a team that had been to the postseason
in four of the previous five years but had failed to win at that level in any
of them.

Four of the five teams in the NFC Central had qualified
for the playoffs in ’97, with the fourth-place Vikings having grabbed the final
Wild Card slot. Under sixth-year Head Coach Dennis Green (pictured at right), the team had gotten
off to an 8-2 start before losing five straight contests and just making it
into the playoffs at 9-7. Oft-injured RB Robert Smith finally realized his
potential with a rushing output of 1266 yards and wide receivers Cris Carter
and Jake Reed were highly capable. QB Brad Johnson had played very well before
suffering a season-ending neck injury, but veteran QB Randall Cunningham, back
in the NFL after a year of retirement, filled in ably in his absence. The
defense had a star in DT John Randle but was lacking elsewhere, in particular
the backfield. Moreover, there was uncertainty regarding the possible sale of
the team and Minnesota had yet to win a playoff game under Coach Green, who was
not on the best terms with the current owners who were angered by comments made
in his autobiography that was published during the season.

New York had a first-year head coach in Jim Fassel and
had gone from 6-10 to 10-5-1. Second-year QB Danny Kanell took over the
starting job from the disappointing Dave Brown with favorable, if far from spectacular,
results. Versatile FB Charles Way was the team’s top rusher while rookie RB
Tiki Barber was splitting time with Tyrone Wheatley. Chris Calloway was the
most productive of the wide receivers. The defense had All-Pros in DE Michael
Strahan, with his 14 sacks, and LB Jessie Armstead.

There were 77,497 fired-up fans in attendance on a snowy
day at Giants Stadium – not a good situation for a team like that Vikings that
played its home games in a domed stadium. The weather made it very difficult on
both offenses throughout the contest. The teams traded punts until Randall
Cunningham fumbled and DT Bernard Holsey recovered for the Giants at the
Minnesota 23. New York lost ground from there but Brad Daluiso (pictured below) kicked a 43-yard
field goal for the early lead.

No sooner did the Vikings get the ball back when
Cunningham fumbled it away again, this time with Michael Strahan recovering at
the Minnesota 46. The Giants had more success on offense this time, driving to
the four yard line with the big play a completion by Danny Kanell to Charles
Way for 27 yards. Still, they settled for another Daluiso field goal of 22
yards but took a 6-0 lead into the second quarter.

The Giants had possession as the game moved into the
second quarter and this time drove 56 yards in seven plays to a touchdown.
Kanell threw to Tiki Barber for 11 yards in a third-and-four situation at
midfield and then passed to WR David Patten for a 37-yard gain to the Minnesota
two. A running play lost a yard but Kanell connected with TE Aaron Pierce for
the two-yard TD. Daluiso’s extra point made it 13-0 in favor of the home team.

After the teams again traded punts another turnover by
the Vikings led to more New York points. Cunningham’s long pass was intercepted
by CB Jason Sehorn, who returned it 36 yards to the Minnesota 47. The ensuing
six-play, 23-yard series ended with a third Daluiso field goal, this time from 41
yards, that made the score 16-0.

The Vikings finally got a break on a turnover when,
following a punt on a three-and-out possession, WR Amani Toomer fumbled and
Minnesota got the ball at the New York 26. Cunningham threw to Cris Carter for
19 yards to the seven yard line, but the Vikings were unable to move the ball
any further. 41-year-old Eddie Murray kicked a 26-yard field goal to get the
visitors on the board.

With less than two minutes remaining in the half as the
Giants got the ball again, the scoring was not yet over. New York, starting at
the 40 thanks to Minnesota’s kickoff going out of bounds, put together a
10-play drive that gained 26 yards and led to Daluiso kicking a 51-yard field
goal to make the halftime score 19-3. While the Giants hadn’t been overly
impressive offensively in the first half, Minnesota had gained just 21 rushing
yards and Cunningham (pictured at right) completed only 5 of 16 passes. In addition, Cunningham’s
two fumbles and an interception all led to points for New York.

The Vikings had the first possession of the third quarter
and had to punt, but a fumble by Barber gave them the ball again at the New
York four. From there, RB Leroy Hoard ran for a touchdown that, with the point
after, narrowed the margin for the Giants to 19-10.

Following a short possession by the Giants, Minnesota
drove into New York territory on a series highlighted by a Cunningham pass to
Jake Reed for 33 yards. However, Murray’s field goal attempt from 48 yards was
unsuccessful. The Vikings got the ball back at their 40 after another short
series for the Giants capped by a short punt by Brad Maynard. Minnesota
advanced the ball 52 yards in 11 plays culminating in a Murray field goal from
26 yards early in the fourth quarter.

The Giants finally came back alive on offense as Kanell completed
six passes, with one to Patten for 18 yards in a third-and-9 situation and the
longest to Calloway for 21 yards. The 13-play, 74-yard drive reached the
Minnesota five and Daluiso booted his fifth field goal of the day from 22
yards. It was a nine-point contest at 22-13 with just over seven minutes to go
and things looked very favorable for the Giants.

After the teams traded punts, the Vikings, getting the
ball back with the clock now down to 2:06, struck quickly following another
short kick by Maynard. Cunningham connected with Reed for a 30-yard touchdown
and Murray added the PAT to narrow the margin to two points. Minnesota
successfully executed an onside kick that New York’s Calloway muffed and WR
Chris Walsh recovered at his own 39.

Following a false start that moved the Vikings five yards
farther back, Cunningham threw an incomplete pass but then hit TE Andrew Glover
for 11 yards and Carter for 21 on a third down play. A pass interference
penalty on the Giants advanced the ball to the New York 16 and Robert Smith
gained 16 yards to set up a 24-yard field goal by Murray. In stunning fashion,
the Vikings won by a score of 23-22.

It was the biggest comeback by a NFL road team in the
postseason since 1972 and the first playoff win for the Vikings in nine years.
Minnesota led in total yards (293 to 266) and first downs (16 to 13). Indeed,
the Giants rushed for only 76 yards in 36 attempts, a factor in their inability
to control the ball longer. The Vikings turned the ball over three times, all
in the first half, to two for New York.

Randall Cunningham, who had such great difficulty in the
first half, completed 15 of 36 passes for 203 yards with a touchdown and an
interception and also rushed for 38 yards on 7 carries. Cris Carter had 6
catches for 83 yards and Jake Reed (pictured below) gained 89 yards and scored a TD on his 5
receptions. Robert Smith rushed for 40 yards on 16 attempts.

For the Giants, Danny Kanell was successful on 16 of 32
throws for 199 yards with a TD and none intercepted. Chris Calloway caught 6
passes for 53 yards while David Patten gained 86 yards on his 5 receptions.
Brad Daluiso was a key performer with his five field goals in as many attempts.

“It was amazing how things unfolded for us at the end,”
said Minnesota’s John Randle. “I’ve never been in a game where we’ve come back
like this.”

The first win for the Vikings under Dennis Green didn’t
lead immediately to a second – they were badly beaten by the 49ers the
following week in the Divisional round. With Green still coaching the team, they
surged to 15-1 in 1998 and made it to the NFC Championship game. New York fell
back to 8-8 in ’98 and didn’t return to the postseason until 2000. By that
time, Danny Kanell and Chris Calloway were long gone but Tiki Barber and Amani
Toomer had become prominent contributors.

December 26, 2012

The NFL Championship game on December 26, 1955 featured
the defending-champion Cleveland Browns against the Los Angeles Rams. The
Browns were a perennial powerhouse under Head Coach Paul Brown, having won all
four titles in the All-America Football Conference and then appearing in five
straight NFL Championship contests after joining the NFL in 1950, winning two.
The quarterback throughout the remarkable run was Otto Graham (pictured at right), who had
announced his retirement following the previous year’s title win but agreed to
come back when the club was foundering in the preseason. Cleveland went 9-2-1
to again top the Eastern Conference.

The Rams, under first-year Head Coach Sid Gillman,
finished a half-game in front of the Bears in the Western Conference at 8-3-1.
They were largely a veteran club best known for offensive prowess. QB Norm Van
Brocklin was a formidable passer and still had savvy veteran ends Tom Fears and
Crazylegs Hirsch as targets. Rookie HB Ron Waller joined with veteran FB Tank
Younger to pace the ground attack and the defense was anchored by All-Pros in
DE Andy Robustelli and HB Will Sherman.

There were 87,695 fans under a gray sky at the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Browns missed out on a first quarter touchdown
when DHB Ed Hughes wrestled a pass away from HB Ray Renfro for an interception.
Both clubs parried until Cleveland, capitalizing on an interception by safety
Ken Konz, finally got on the board with two minutes remaining in the opening
period on a 26-yard field goal by Lou Groza.

The Browns got another big defensive play in the second
quarter when DHB Don Paul (pictured at left) returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown,
with only the slow-footed Van Brocklin between him and the goal line. However,
on LA’s next possession HB Skeet Quinlan scored on a spectacular long pass
after beating DHB Warren Lahr. The play brought the home crowd alive and, at
least briefly, kept the contest competitive with the Browns leading by 10-7.
But just before the half the Browns scored again when Graham connected with end
Dante Lavelli for a 50-yard TD. It was 17-7 at the midway point and Cleveland
would not look back.

In the third quarter, Konz returned a punt 24 yards to
set up a five-play, 46-yard drive that ended with Graham rolling out around end
and running 15 yards for a touchdown. Shortly thereafter, LB Sam Palumbo
intercepted a Van Brocklin pass to give the Browns the ball in LA territory and
they drove 36 yards to a one-yard scoring carry by Graham. Cleveland had a
commanding 31-7 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Renfro caught a pass from
Graham for a 35-yard touchdown to cap the scoring for the Browns. Thoroughly
overwhelmed, the Rams finally scored again with three minutes remaining in the
fourth quarter on a four-yard run by Ron Waller, long after the contest had
been decided. With a little time remaining, George Ratterman came in at
quarterback for Cleveland and Graham received a standing ovation from what was
left of the crowd as he trotted off the field. The Browns were once again NFL
Champions by a score of 38-14.

While both teams had 17 first downs apiece, the Browns
had the edge in total yards (371 to 259). More significantly, LA turned the
ball over seven times (all by interceptions), to three by Cleveland. And while
the Rams were unable to capitalize on their takeaways, the Browns generated 24
points from theirs, including the one long interception return for a score.

Otto Graham completed 14 of 25 passes for 209 yards with
two touchdowns and three interceptions, and also ran the ball 9 times for 21
yards and two TDs. FB Ed Modzelewski (pictured at right) led the Browns with 61 yards on 13 carries
as well as 5 pass receptions for 34 yards. Dante Lavelli gained 95 yards on his
three catches that included a touchdown.

For the Rams, Norm Van Brocklin was successful on 11 of
25 throws for 166 yards and a TD but also was intercepted six times (Bill Wade
relieved him and tossed another interception). Skeet Quinlan caught 5 passes
for 116 yards and the one long touchdown. FB Dan Towler led the club in rushing
with 64 yards on 14 carries and Ron Waller contributed 48 yards and a TD on 11
attempts.

It was a near-perfect sendoff for Otto Graham, who made
clear that he was retiring for good this time. He left having piloted the
Browns to ten straight title games – four in the AAFC and six in the NFL – with
seven wins in that string. While his career passing totals pale in comparison
to those accumulated in modern offenses, his pro statistics include 23,584
passing yards and 174 touchdowns against 135 interceptions. Of that, 13,499 yards,
88 TDs, and 81 interceptions came in the NFL. He led the NFL in completion
percentage in each of his last three seasons and twice led in passing yards.
Graham’s career average yards-per-attempt of 8.6 is still the best in NFL
history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Graham’s value to the Browns was further underlined in
1956 when, without him in the lineup, they suffered the first losing season in
franchise history (5-7). They bounced back to top the Eastern Conference in ’57.

As for the Rams, they dropped all the way to the bottom
of the Western Conference with a 4-8 record in 1956 and did not return to the
postseason until 1967. Norm Van Brocklin’s poor performance in the ’55 title
game became one of the points of contention between the talented but irascible
quarterback and Coach Gillman, ultimately leading to his departure from the
team following the ’57 season.

December 25, 2012

The Christmas encounter on December 25, 1993 featured two
high-scoring teams that were on their way to the postseason. The San Francisco
49ers were perennial contenders and, in their fifth year under Head Coach
George Seifert, were 10-4 and already had sewn up a spot in the playoffs. The
mobile lefthanded QB Steve Young was admirably succeeding the departed Joe
Montana, WR Jerry Rice was the best at his position, and RB Ricky Watters a
temperamental but talented presence in the backfield. The 49ers scored 55
points in their previous contest.

The Houston Oilers, coached by Jack Pardee, overcame a
slow start to win nine straight games and were also at 10-4 and playing for
home field advantage in the playoffs. QB Warren Moon was highly productive in
the club’s run-and-shoot offense and the defense was responding to the coaching
of coordinator Buddy Ryan.

There were 61,744 fans present for the Saturday afternoon
game at Candlestick Park. San Francisco’s first series of the game ended with a
failed 47-yard field goal attempt by Mike Cofer. Both teams had difficulty
moving the ball during the remainder of the opening period but it ended with Moon
completing a pass to RB Gary Brown (pictured above) for a 20-yard gain and the second quarter
started off with another Moon throw to WR Gary Wellman that picked up 44 yards
to the San Francisco 6. That was as far as the Oilers could get and they
settled for a 24-yard field goal by Al Del Greco to take a 3-0 lead.

On the next series, a fumble by Young, who lost the ball
when sacked by blitzing rookie safety Blaine Bishop, led to Houston scoring a
touchdown three plays later on a seven-yard pass from Moon to WR Ernest Givins.

Down by 10-0, the Niners put together a long drive from
their 22 yard line that was helped along by two Houston penalties. However,
after reaching the Oilers’ 19 Young’s pass into the end zone was intercepted by
CB Cris Dishman to extinguish the threat.

In the third quarter, Houston was driving and seemed
about to take control of the game when Moon was intercepted for the second time
by CB Michael McGruder, who returned it 15 yards to his own 30. The 49ers
responded by putting together a promising series. Following a five-yard
scramble by Young, he threw to RB Amp Lee for a 22-yard gain and then to Jerry
Rice for 32 yards to the Houston 11. The drive stalled at the six, however, and
a 24-yard field goal attempt by Cofer was blocked by LB Eddie Robinson.

After a short series by the Oilers that ended with a
punt, Young was relieved by backup QB Steve Bono with 3:33 remaining in the
third quarter. The 49ers then methodically advanced 73 yards in 12 plays for
their only score. Bono completed eight passes and Lee finished the drive off
with an eight-yard carry around end for a touchdown. Cofer’s successful extra
point attempt made it a three-point game with over twelve minutes remaining on
the clock.

Warren Moon had to leave the game due to bruised ribs
with a little under seven minutes to play and was replaced by Cody Carlson. The
49ers reached Houston territory on their next series but were forced to punt. With
Carlson under center, the Oilers then put together a long, time-consuming drive
to keep the ball away from the Niners and clinch the 10-7 win.

In a game that was remarkably low-scoring for teams with
such potent offenses, the 49ers led in both total yards (337 to 311) and first
downs (20 to 16). Each club turned the ball over three times. The Oilers were
penalized six times while San Francisco was only flagged once.

Gary Brown played a big role in helping the Oilers to
maintain ball control as he rushed for 114 yards on 19 carries. Warren Moon had
a less-than-stellar performance as he completed 11 of 26 passes for 158 yards
with a touchdown and three interceptions. Cody Carlson completed all three of
his passes in relief for 46 yards. Gary Wellman caught four passes for 82 yards
and Ernest Givins also had four receptions, for 35 yards and a TD.

It was also a rough day for Steve Young, who was
successful on just 15 of 29 throws for 178 yards and was intercepted twice and
lost a fumble. Steve Bono completed 11 of 13 passes for 79 yards. Jerry Rice
caught 10 passes for 83 yards. Amp Lee (pictured below) rushed for 65 yards and a TD on 16
attempts and added 45 yards on 5 pass receptions.

Coach Seifert had told Young he would be coming out early
at halftime as he didn’t want to risk his quarterback’s health. Still, it did
not sit well with the star quarterback. “To be pulled out of the game like
that, I had to bite my tongue a little bit,” he said afterward.

“We saw them score 55 points on the road last week, so
this was a huge lift for us,” exulted Houston’s Eddie Robinson, who blocked the
potential game-tying kick. “We almost had the shutout.”

Houston made it 11 consecutive wins to finish out the
regular season – with Cody Carlson at quarterback for the injured Moon – to end
up at the top of the AFC Central with a 12-4 record, although they failed to
secure the top seed in the postseason. Once again they fell short in the
playoffs, losing in the Divisional round to Kansas City.

The loss to the Oilers broke a string of 13 straight home
wins for the 49ers, who lost their finale the following week but still finished
first in the NFC West at 10-6. They annihilated the Giants by a 44-3 score in
their Divisional playoff game and lost to the Cowboys in the NFC title game for
the second straight year.

December 23, 2012

The New York Giants were 9-5 and fighting for a playoff
spot as they took on the Buffalo Bills on December 23, 2007. Head Coach Tom
Coughlin’s team had struggled with inconsistency, particularly with regard to
fourth-year QB Eli Manning. He was helped by the presence of WR Plaxico
Burress, who was productive despite playing with an injured ankle. The Giants
were also helped through a running back by committee approach that had
successfully replaced retired star RB Tiki Barber, although in a loss the
previous week to the Redskins they were criticized for underutilizing the
ground attack. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit was aggressive and
adept at pressuring opposing quarterbacks while stopping the run.

The Bills, coached by Dick Jauron, had recovered from a
slow 1-4 start to win four straight games but were at 7-7 and out of the
playoffs. Still, they had received an emotional lift prior to facing the Giants
when TE Kevin Everett, who suffered a severe injury to his spinal cord in the
season-opening game, returned from his rehab to address the team before the
game. Remarkably, he was able to walk under his own power – something that
seemed unlikely in the early aftermath.

There was a gusty wind and hard rain that turned to snow
flurries as the game at Ralph Wilson Stadium progressed. The fired-up Bills
scored the first two times they had the ball. In the game’s initial series,
they drove 60 yards in seven plays that featured QB Trent Edwards throwing to
WR Lee Evans for 21 yards and to RB Marshawn Lynch for 30 yards in a
second-and-17 situation. Edwards finished off the drive with a pass to TE
Michael Gaines in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

Following a punt by the Giants, Buffalo went 66 yards in
six plays, the big one of which was an Edwards completion to WR Roscoe Parrish
for 42 yards to the New York four yard line. From there on the next play,
Edwards tossed a TD pass to Evans. The score was 14-0 following a quarter of
action.

Early in the second quarter, the Giants got a break due
to a fumble by the Bills and gained possession at the Buffalo 23. QB Eli
Manning completed a pass to WR Amani Toomer for 13 yards on a third-and-six
play and the five-play series ended with RB Brandon Jacobs (pictured above) running six yards
for a touchdown.

The Giants regained possession following a punt and the
series was extended thanks to a roughing the kicker penalty when it appeared
that they would go three-and-out. They took immediate advantage when, on the
first play after the penalty, Jacobs took off on a 43-yard run for a TD. With
the successful extra point, the score was tied at 14-14.

New York added more points following another short series
by the Bills that ended with a punt. After two runs by Jacobs gained five
yards, Manning passed to Toomer again on third-and-five for a 19-yard gain and
the seven-play, 32-yard series ended with Lawrence Tynes kicking a 42-yard
field goal that gave the Giants a 17-14 lead.

It seemed as though New York might score again before the
half when they advanced to the Buffalo 26 on their next possession with time
running out, but Manning fumbled when sacked by DE Aaron Schobel, who then
recovered to end the threat and keep it a three-point contest at the
intermission.

The Bills regained the lead quickly in the third quarter.
On the first play from scrimmage, LB Keith Ellison intercepted a Manning pass
and Lynch immediately ran 28 yards to set up his three-yard touchdown run. The
successful conversion made it a four-point game with the home team on top at
21-17.

The Giants responded with a long drive that began at
their 35 and put them in almost certain scoring position with a first down at
the Buffalo one. Three running plays failed to reach the end zone and, going
for it on fourth-and-one, RB Reuben Droughns was stopped for a four-yard loss
and the Bills regained possession.

Buffalo ran three plays and punted, with the Giants
starting with good field position at the Buffalo 45. Jacobs carried six
straight times to advance the ball to the Buffalo 11 as the third quarter came
to an end. However, the final period started off with Manning fumbling and DT
Larry Tripplett recovering for the Bills at the 12. Any advantage for Buffalo
was erased two plays later when an Edwards pass that bounced off the shoulder
pad of Evans, the intended receiver, was intercepted by LB Kawika Mitchell, who
returned it 20 yards for a TD. The Giants were up by 24-21 and wouldn’t look
back.

The teams traded punts until Manning was picked off by CB
Terrence McGee to give Buffalo the ball near midfield, but the Bills, who hadn’t
shown much offense since the first quarter, were unable to advance and,
following the ensuing punt, RB Ahmad Bradshaw took off on an 88-yard touchdown
run that effectively put the game away. If there was any doubt, on the second
play of Buffalo’s next possession Edwards again tossed an interception that was
returned for a TD, this time by CB Corey Webster from 34 yards out. The Giants
won by a final score of 38-21, with Coach Coughlin receiving a Gatorade bath on
the sideline in celebration of nailing down a playoff spot.

New York outgained the Bills by 383 yards to 244, with
291 of that total coming on the ground – the most that the team had accumulated
in a game since 1959. The Giants also had the edge in first downs (17 to 16).
Each club turned the ball over four times. New York also recorded three sacks,
all after star Buffalo OLT Jason Peters left the game with a groin injury in
the second quarter.

Ahmad Bradshaw (pictured below), in a breakout performance highlighted by
the long scoring run, gained 151 yards on 17 carries that included a TD and Brandon
Jacobs, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle, rushed
for 143 yards and two TDs on 25 attempts. Eli Manning went to the air just 15
times and completed 7 for 111 yards with no touchdowns and two intercepted,
along with two fumbles. Amani Toomer was far and away New York’s leading pass
receiver with 5 catches for 99 yards while Plaxico Burress was held to one
reception for six yards.

For the Bills, Marshawn Lynch rushed for 70 yards on 18
attempts that included one TD. Trent Edwards, under heavy pressure as the game
progressed, was successful on only 9 of 26 throws for 161 yards with two for
touchdowns but also three interceptions. Lee Evans had three catches for 43
yards and a TD.

“We knew what we had to do,” said Brandon Jacobs. “We
knew the wind was going to be blowing and it was going to be a little rainy. So
that is what you do in conditions like that – you run the ball.”

“We were going to put the ball on the ground and have
success,” echoed Tom Coughlin. “We didn’t get ourselves into a situation where
we felt like we had to do anything but run the ball.”

It was the seventh straight win on the road for the
Giants, who finished second in the NFC East at 10-6 but then proceeded to catch
fire in the playoffs. With Manning upping his game considerably and the defense
playing at its best, New York won three straight postseason road games before
upsetting the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Buffalo placed
second in the AFC East at 7-9 and out of the playoffs for the eighth
consecutive year.

The power-running Brandon Jacobs ended up leading the
Giants with 1009 yards on 202 carries (5.0 avg.) and four touchdowns despite
missing five games due to injury. Ahmad Bradshaw, little used in his first year
except for returning kickoffs until late in the season, had just 190 yards on
23 attempts but saved his best for the postseason where he ran for 208 yards on
48 attempts (4.3 avg.) and a TD.

December 22, 2012

The NFC Divisional Playoff game on December 22, 1974 at
the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum featured two tough defensive teams. The Los
Angeles Rams, coached by Chuck Knox, had allowed the fewest points during the
regular season (181) and featured stalwarts on the defensive line in All-Pro DE
Jack Youngblood and DT Merlin Olsen (pictured at right), still a Pro Bowl-level performer at age
34. The offense had undergone a shift during the season when veteran QB John
Hadl was traded to the Packers and replaced by James Harris, a pioneering
African-American signal caller. The ground game was sound with RB Lawrence
McCutcheon, who ran for 1109 yards and also gained Pro Bowl recognition.

The Redskins were in the playoffs for the fourth straight
year under Head Coach George Allen, previously the coach in LA. The defense was
typically strong, but on offense the running game was unusually weak for an
Allen-coached squad as, in particular, RB Larry Brown suffered through an
injury-plagued campaign. The passing attack had compensated with savvy veteran
QB Bill Kilmer backed up by 40-year-old Sonny Jurgensen, who had performed well
on several occasions in relief.

Both teams had finished at 10-4, with that record good
enough to win the NFC West title for the Rams but earning second place in the
NFC East and a Wild Card spot for Washington. The Redskins had beaten the Rams
in the second-to-last regular season contest just two weeks earlier.

There was a big crowd of 80,118 at the cavernous Coliseum
on a day in which there were gusty winds that hampered the passing game. The Rams made a change by going with two
tight ends and one running back on offense. The “ace” formation, as they called
it, succeeded in generating an eight-play, 72-yard drive for the game’s first
touchdown. Along the way James Harris completed three passes for 40 yards and
then threw to TE Bob Klein for a ten-yard TD.

The momentum shifted back to the Redskins during the
remainder of the first half. Later in the first quarter, and following a Kilmer
pass to WR Charley Taylor that gained 41 yards, Mike Bragg kicked a 35-yard field
goal. After CB Pat Fischer intercepted a Harris pass and returned it 40 yards
to the LA 23, Washington took the lead in the second quarter when RB Moses
Denson plunged one yard into the end zone for a touchdown. It was 10-7 at the
half.

The situation changed in the third quarter as the Rams
began to make big plays on defense that turned the tide. Larry Brown’s fumble
at the LA 44, forced by Merlin Olsen’s jolting tackle, was recovered by LB Jack
Reynolds and set up a 37-yard field goal by David Ray that tied the score. It
could have been more as an apparent touchdown by the Rams was nullified by a
penalty.

HB Doug Cunningham fumbled the ensuing kickoff when he
was hit by TE Pat Curran. LA turned that into three more points and the lead
when Ray booted a 26-yard field goal. With the score at 13-10 and the Redskins
having difficulty sustaining drives, Coach Allen lifted Kilmer for Sonny
Jurgensen.

In the fourth quarter the Rams made a defensive
adjustment, inserting Isiah Robertson (pictured at left) as a fourth linebacker rather than
putting in an extra defensive back. It resulted in a key interception when Olsen
hit Jurgensen as he was passing and Robertson picked off the underthrown ball
and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. While the extra point attempt failed,
LA had a nine-point lead with 10 minutes remaining on the clock.

On the next series, Olsen made another big play when he
sacked Jurgensen for an eight-yard loss to thwart a potential comeback. The
Rams were able to then keep the ball away from Washington until there was only
3:23 left. On a second down play, Reynolds intercepted a Jurgensen pass to
essentially nail down the win. The Rams advanced by a score of 19-10.

Los Angeles held narrow edges in total yards (226 to 218)
and first downs (14 to 13). However, the Redskins turned the ball over six
times, with five of them coming in the second half and leading to 12 points for
the Rams. LA suffered two turnovers. In addition, the Rams were more effective
at running the ball, gaining 131 yards on 49 attempts while Washington was held
to just 49 yards on 27 carries.

James Harris completed only 8 of 24 passes for 95 yards
and a touchdown with two intercepted. Lawrence McCutcheon rushed for 71 yards
on 26 carries and was one of three LA receivers to lead the club with two
catches, for 20 yards. WR Harold Jackson gained 35 yards on his two receptions
and Bob Klein’s two went for 23 yards and a TD. PK David Ray had been
hospitalized with back spasms and it was uncertain that he could play until
released three days earlier, but came through with two key field goals in the
second half (although he also had two misses).

For the Redskins, Bill Kilmer was successful on 7 of 18
throws for 99 yards with none intercepted while Sonny Jurgensen (pictured below) went to the air
12 times and completed 6 for 78 yards, but with three picked off. Charley
Taylor caught 4 passes for 79 yards and FB Charlie Evans also pulled in 4, for
31 yards. Larry Brown rushed for 39 yards on 18 attempts.

“George Allen always said that if you can get six
turnovers in a game, you’ll win it,” said Merlin Olsen of his former coach. “We
got six today.”

“The Rams deserved to win because they played better
football,” summed up a glum Allen. “You can’t make as many mistakes as we did
and expect to win.”

The first postseason win for the Rams since 1951 moved
them ahead to the NFC Championship game, which they lost to Minnesota. The
Redskins dipped to 8-6 in 1975 but returned to the postseason for one last time
under George Allen in ’76.

The Divisional playoff loss in LA marked the end of the
road for Sonny Jurgensen, who retired following an 18-year career in which he
accumulated 32,224 passing yards and 255 TD passes – both figures were the
third most in NFL history at the time. He gained induction to the Pro Football
Hall of Fame in 1983. Oddly enough, Jurgensen’s last game was also his only
postseason appearance (other than as a holder for kicks).

December 20, 2012

For its final season prior to merging with the NFL, the
American Football League adopted an expanded playoff structure. Rather than have
the two division winners play directly for the league title, a first round
pitting the second place team in each of the divisions against the first place
club in the opposite division was added. On December 20, 1969 one of the
Divisional playoffs pitted the Kansas City Chiefs, the second place club in the
Western Division, against the top team in the Eastern Division, the
defending-champion New York Jets.

The Jets, coached by Weeb Ewbank, had won a stunning
victory in the previous year’s Super Bowl and easily repeated as division
winners with a 10-4 record, sweeping all the other Eastern clubs along the way.
They still had the ability to put points on the board with QB Joe Namath
throwing to flanker Don Maynard, split end George Sauer, and TE Pete Lammons
and a fine running attack headed by HB Emerson Boozer and FB Matt Snell. While
the defensive backfield was suspect, the line and linebackers were not. In
addition, PK Jim Turner, having kicked a then-record 34 field goals in 1968, followed
up with 32 in ‘69.

Head Coach Hank Stram’s Chiefs were runners-up to Oakland
in the tougher Western Division with an 11-3 tally. QB Len Dawson (pictured passing above) missed six
games due to a knee injury but was healthy for the postseason. The stable of
running backs provided a good blend of inside power and outside speed and the
defense was solid in all areas. Kansas City also boasted an outstanding placekicker
in Jan Stenerud, who set a league record with 16 consecutive field goals at one
point. Moreover, in their one meeting with New York during the regular season, the
Chiefs won decisively.

It was a cold and windy Saturday at Shea Stadium with 62,977
fans in attendance. The Jets were without the services of Don Maynard for most
of the game due to a broken right foot, although he was inserted briefly in the
second half and caught one pass. Meanwhile, a bout of the flu kept Kansas City FB
Robert Holmes out of action for most of the game as well.

The strong winds played havoc on the passing game from
the start and also affected the placekicking. An early 40-yard field goal
attempt by Stenerud was held up by the wind and fell short. New York responded
with a drive in which Namath completed all four of his passes and Jim Turner
was successful on his three-point try from 27 yards.

The contest quickly settled into being a defensive
struggle. Stenerud finally got Kansas City on the board early in the second
quarter with a 23-yard field goal. The Jets played conservatively and chose to
run out the clock with their last possession of the second quarter, much to the
dissatisfaction of the home crowd.

Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs, helped by a key
pass completion from Dawson to TE Fred Arbanas, went ahead by 6-3 as Stenerud
booted a 25-yard field goal. It set the stage for the turning point of the game
in the fourth quarter.

First, a pass interference call on CB Emmitt Thomas gave
New York a first down at the KC one. With MLB Willie Lanier exhorting his
teammates on, the Jets tried to run it in on successive carries by Matt Snell
and HB Bill Mathis, but failed to reach the end zone. In both instances, Lanier
was there to make the play. With third and inches inside the Kansas City one
yard line, Namath rolled to his right. Snell was his primary receiver, but LB
Bobby Bell picked him up out of the backfield and the hobbling quarterback was under
pressure from onrushing LB Jim Lynch. As a result, Namath threw the ball away
and the Jets had to settle for a seven-yard field goal by Jim Turner. It tied
the score at 6-6, but was a big missed opportunity for New York – and a spur to
the Chiefs.

On the ensuing series, Dawson threw to WR Otis Taylor for
a 61-yard gain on a crossing pattern and then followed with a 19-yard TD pass
to WR Gloster Richardson, who was all alone in the end zone after having eluded
CB Cornell Gordon. With the extra point added, the Chiefs were up by seven
points.

There was still time for the Jets to come back, but the
inspired Kansas City defense was able to keep them out of the end zone and
Namath was only able to complete 6 of 20 pass attempts the rest of the way.
Twice New York made it into scoring territory, getting to the KC 16 and 13
respectively, but came up empty. On the second of those occasions, two Namath
passes intended for George Sauer in the end zone fell incomplete and a third,
to WR Bake Turner, was intercepted by CB Jim Marsalis to end the threat after
New York had reached the KC four due to a personal foul penalty on SS Jim
Kearney. Any last hopes ended when DB Mike Battle fumbled away a punt with 36
seconds left on the clock. The Chiefs won 13-6 to advance to the AFL
Championshi p game.

Kansas City outgained the Jets (276 yards to 235) but New
York had more first downs (19 to 14). The Jets turned the ball over four times
while KC suffered no turnovers. The teams combined for 11 punts and Jan
Stenerud struggled as he missed three of his five field goal attempts.

In the difficult weather conditions, Len Dawson completed
12 of 27 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. Mike Garrett rushed for 67 yards
on 18 carries and Wendell Hayes added 32 yards on 10 attempts while leading the
team with 5 catches for 46 yards. However, Otis Taylor (pictured at left) gained 74 yards on his
two receptions.

For the Jets, Joe Namath went to the air 40 times and
completed 14 for 164 yards with three interceptions. George Sauer caught 5 of
those passes for 61 yards. Matt Snell was the rushing leader with 61 yards on
12 attempts.

Reacting to criticism of the attempt to pass on third
down rather than try another run into the line, causing the Jets to end up with
three points rather than potentially seven and shifting the game’s momentum,
Coach Ewbank said, “We don’t second-guess a call. Hindsight is always 20-20.
Joe (Namath) called that third down pass and I thought it was a good call. We
worked on that play all week for that type situation and we thought it would
work.”

The Chiefs faced their division rivals, the Oakland
Raiders, for the AFL title and won to advance to the Super Bowl where they
defeated the Minnesota Vikings to finish off the younger league’s existence on
a winning note. They missed the playoffs in 1970 with a 7-5-2 record while the
Jets sank much further due to injuries – most notably to Namath – and finished
at 4-10. But while Kansas City would bounce back to make it to the postseason
in 1971, New York would not appear again in the playoffs until 1981.

December 19, 2012

The Minnesota Vikings had gotten off to a 5-1 start in
the 2004 NFL season but had struggled thereafter. By the time they faced the
Detroit Lions on December 19 they were at 7-6 and trying to stay alive for a
playoff spot. Coached by Mike Tice, the offense featured sixth-year QB Daunte
Culpepper (pictured above), adept at running as well as passing, and highly talented – if also
temperamental – WR Randy Moss. They had beaten Detroit four weeks earlier.

The Lions, under Head Coach Steve Mariucci, were a
rebuilding club with a 5-8 record, having lost six of their last seven games.
There was young talent on offense in QB Joey Harrington, WR Roy Williams, and
rookie first draft choice Kevin Jones, but Harrington was proving to be
inconsistent and the defense was tough but thin on depth.

There were 62,337 fans in attendance at Detroit’s Ford
Field. The home team had first possession and drove 59 yards in 13 plays.
Harrington completed four passes and Jason Hanson kicked a 32-yard field goal
to make it 3-0. The Vikings came right back with a long series of their own,
going 85 yards in 12 plays. Daunte Culpepper completed five throws along the
way, including two to TE Jermaine Wiggins for first downs and a 36-yard
touchdown pass to WR Nate Burleson. It was 7-3 in favor of Minnesota after one
quarter of play.

The teams traded punts heading into the second quarter
before the Vikings struck with a big play. In a third-and-24 situation at his
own 18, Culpepper threw to Randy Moss for an 82-yard TD and, with another
successful PAT, a 14-3 lead. The Lions responded with a long, sustained 11-play
drive that covered 83 yards. Harrington completed a pass to Roy Williams for 24
yards on a third-and-three play and Kevin Jones carried the ball 6 times for 42
yards that included a 16-yard scoring run.
In the final two minutes, Detroit added a 23-yard field goal by Hanson
and it was a 14-13 game at the half.

In Detroit’s first possession of the third quarter, and
backed up deep in its own territory, Harrington (pictured at left) threw to Williams for another
big gain of 37 yards. But the drive ended with SS Corey Chavous intercepting a
pass at his own 37. The Lions got a break three plays later when Culpepper was
picked off in turn by FS Brock Marion, who returned it to the Minnesota 33.
However, three plays after that Jones fumbled and DT Spencer Johnson recovered
for the Vikings to snuff out the threat. The teams traded punts for the
remainder of the period.

Early in the fourth quarter, Harrington was intercepted
by CB Brian Williams and the Vikings proceeded to put together an eight-play,
68-yard drive. Culpepper connected with Burleson for a 37-yard touchdown.
Detroit came back with an 83-yard series that featured a Harrington pass to WR
Az-Zahir Hakim for 40 yards, who then lateraled to RB Shawn Bryson for another
22 yards to the Minnesota 14 and, three plays later, Harrington threw to Roy Williams
for a nine-yard TD. With the successful two-point conversion on a pass from
Harrington to WR Tai Streets, the game was tied at 21-21.

There were just over six minutes remaining as the Vikings
took over for their next series. Culpepper came out throwing, with the big
completion to RB Moe Williams for 28 yards to the Detroit 34. The tenth play of
the 73-yard drive was an 11-yard Culpepper pass to Williams for a TD. Morten
Andersen added the extra point and it was 28-21 with the clock now down to
1:37.

Now it was Harrington throwing on every down as the Lions
took over at their 20 following a touchback on the kickoff. Three consecutive
completions got the ball to the Detroit 40 and, after an incomplete pass,
Harrington hit Streets for 15 more yards to get the ball into Vikings
territory. A 23-yard toss to Roy Williams moved the Lions to the 15 and a
penalty on Minnesota took it to the one. From there, Harrington threw to
Williams for a touchdown and it appeared that the game was going into overtime.

However, on the usually-automatic extra point attempt, a
bad snap by long snapper Don Muhlbach bounced
before reaching holder Nick Harris. Unable to set the ball for Hanson to kick,
Harris was tackled and the PAT was no good. The Vikings recovered the ensuing
onside kick and were able to run out the remaining seconds and win by a score
of 28-27.

The game was close statistically as the Lions barely
edged Minnesota in both total yards (463 to 461) and first downs (24 to 21).
Detroit sacked Culpepper five times, while Harrington was dumped twice by the
Vikings, but the Lions also turned the ball over three times, to one suffered
by Minnesota.

Daunte Culpepper completed 25 of 35 passes for 404 yards
and three touchdowns with one interception. Nate Burleson (pictured above) had 5 catches for 134
yards and two TDs and Randy Moss contributed 102 yards on his four pass
receptions that included the long touchdown. Jermaine Wiggins had the most
receptions for the Vikings with his 6 for 39 yards. RB Michael Bennett gained
51 rushing yards on 13 carries and also had another 51 yards on three catches.

For the Lions, Joey Harrington was successful on 25 of 44
throws for 361 yards and two TDs while two were picked off. Roy Williams,
despite suffering from a hip injury, caught 7 of those passes for 104 yards and
two scores. Az-Zahir Hakim gained 108 yards on four receptions. Kevin Jones (pictured below) rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts and also made four catches
for 35 yards.

The Vikings lost two close games to finish out the
regular season at 8-8, but they still qualified for the playoffs as a Wild
Card. They defeated the division-rival Packers in the first round but lost to
Philadelphia at the Divisional level. The loss to Minnesota officially
eliminated the Lions from postseason contention and they ended up third in the
division at 6-10. Still, it was still the club’s best record since 2000.

For Daunte Culpepper, it was a year in which he led the
league in passing yards (4717) and completions (379), both career highs, as
were his 39 TD passes, 8.6 yards per attempt, and 69.2 completion percentage.
He was chosen to the Pro Bowl for the third time. It was also the pinnacle of a
career that quickly faded. Culpepper was limited to seven games in 2005 due to
injury and never again played in more than eight during a season as he moved
around to three more teams and, eventually, the UFL.

Likewise, Joey Harrington never lived up to his promise.
He, too, achieved career highs in 2004 in passing yards (3047) and touchdowns
(19) but failed to meet expectations in ’05 and was dealt to Miami – where he
became a teammate of Culpepper.

December 18, 2012

The Philadelphia Eagles had won the 1948 NFL title in a
game played amidst blizzard conditions. On December 18, 1949 they were once
again playing for the league championship while facing extreme weather. The
Eagles, under Head Coach Earle “Greasy” Neale, were an even better club than in
’48. They repeated as Eastern Division champs with an 11-1 record, leading the
NFL both in points scored (364) and fewest points surrendered (134). The key to
the offense was star HB Steve Van Buren (pictured above), who won his fourth league rushing
title in five years with a record 1146 yards. QB Tommy Thompson was a fine
passer and had an able receiving corps in ends Pete Pihos, Jack Ferrante, and
Neill Armstrong. Neale’s innovative 5-2-4
defense was highly effective.

The winners of the Western Division were the Los Angeles
Rams, who went 8-2-2. Head Coach Clark Shaughnessy was one of the architects of
the T-formation and fashioned a high-scoring offense. Veteran QB Bob Waterfield
was joined by rookie Norm Van Brocklin and HB Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch was
moved out to flanker where he joined ends Tom Fears and Bob Shaw to create an
exciting and productive passing attack. However, after winning their first six
games they lost badly at Philadelphia and struggled through the remainder of
the schedule.

Heavy rains struck Los Angeles the previous day and
continued through the Sunday of the title game, dumping some three inches of
rain on Los Angeles and making the field at the Memorial Coliseum a sea of mud.
A record crowd was expected to attend the contest in the cavernous stadium, but
the heavy downpour limited attendance to a disappointing 22,245 – a particular
disappointment to the players, who were looking forward to a large gate with
healthy shares going to the winning team. Thus, there were players, and for that matter
fans, who wanted to see the game postponed a week, but it went on as scheduled.

With conditions that essentially grounded the offenses,
neither team scored in the opening period. In the second quarter, the Eagles
put together a 63-yard drive. Tommy Thompson completed passes to Jack Ferrante
that gained 11 and 16 yards, respectively, and then hit Pete Pihos from 31
yards out, who made a leaping grab at the 15 and proceeded unmolested into the
end zone. Cliff Patton’s extra point attempt was successful and the defending
champs held a 7-0 lead at the half.

Philadelphia added to its lead in the third quarter. With
the Rams backed up to their 10 yard line, a punt by Bob Waterfield was blocked
by DE Leo Skladany who then managed to gain possession of the ball that had
rolled back to the two and cross the goal line for another TD. It was a career
highlight for Skladany, a rookie who was playing semipro football until signed
by the Eagles during the season when star DE Johnny Green went down with an
injury. Once again Patton added the PAT.

The Rams only threatened twice, reaching the Philadelphia
25 and 37 yard lines, but came up empty. A field goal try by Waterfield from 45
yards sailed wide. Likewise, the Eagles had an opportunity to add to their
margin but HB Jim Parmer fumbled the ball away at the LA 7. The key to the game
was Philadelphia’s ability to run the ball effectively and thus control time of
possession as well as being able to shut the Rams down defensively. The Eagles
won their second consecutive title by a score of 14-0.

Philadelphia’s domination was complete. The Eagles ran
far more plays (70 to 51), gained more total yards (342 to 109), and had more
first downs (17 to 7). The Rams didn’t make a first down on a running play and
set a team record for lowest rushing yardage in a title game (21 yards on 24
carries). Philadelphia, on the other hand, did the opposite (274 yards on 61
attempts).

Steve Van Buren was the game’s dominant player, gaining a
postseason-record 196 yards on 31 carries (it remained the NFL standard until
1975). Tommy Thompson threw just 9 passes and completed 5 for 68 yards and a
touchdown along with two interceptions. Jack Ferrante was the only Eagle to
catch more than one pass, with two for 27 yards, although Pete Pihos was the
receiving yardage leader with 31 on his lone reception for a TD.

For the Rams, Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin
combined for 10 completions in 27 attempts for 98 yards and one interception.
Four receivers caught two passes apiece, with tackle Dick Huffman the leader in
yards with 26. The anemic ground game was led by HB Fred Gehrke who gained 13
yards on three attempts – FB Dick Hoerner had 7 carries, for just 10 yards.

“My boys did their best,” summed up Clark Shaughnessy. “I
can’t think of a single change I would make if the game were played again.”

The win over the Rams made the Eagles the first
back-to-back NFL Champions since the 1940-41 Bears and crowned a run in which
they topped the Eastern Division for three straight years. They dropped to 6-6
and third place in the revamped American Conference in 1950 primarily as the
result of injuries (particularly to Van Buren) – and the arrival of the
Cleveland Browns from the AAFC. Philadelphia would not win another title until
1960. The Rams, on the other hand, made it back to the Championship game in
each of the next two seasons, winning in 1951 and tying for first place in the
National Conference in ’52.

December 16, 2012

The 1972 NFL season had been a rough one for 37-year-old
QB John Brodie of the San Francisco 49ers (pictured at right). After leading the club to
appearances in the NFC Championship game in each of the previous two seasons,
he had suffered an ankle injury in Week 5 and missed the next eight games. Even
after he was able to play again, he remained on the bench as backup to Steve
Spurrier, the sixth-year quarterback-in-waiting who had performed ably in
Brodie’s absence. Head Coach Dick Nolan’s team was 7-5-1 and trying to nail
down a third consecutive NFC West title going into the last game of the season
against the Vikings on December 16.

Minnesota, coached by Bud Grant, was having a down year
after going to the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons. The return of
QB Fran Tarkenton following a five-year sojourn with the Giants had been offset
by the decline of the once-stellar defense. The Vikings were 7-6 and had
already been eliminated from playoff contention.

It was rainy and the artificial surface wet for the
Saturday game at Candlestick Park. Things started off rough for the 49ers when HB
Vic Washington, after catching a pass from Spurrier, fumbled and LB Jeff Siemon
recovered for the Vikings. However, Minnesota failed to capitalize when Fred
Cox was wide on a 33-yard field goal attempt.

Later in the first quarter, the Vikings got another
opportunity on a San Francisco turnover and made the most of it. FB Ken Willard
fumbled the ball away and CB Charlie West picked it up and returned it to the
49ers’ 16 yard line. Three plays later, Tarkenton completed an 18-yard
touchdown pass to RB Ed Marinaro for his first pro touchdown.

Vic Washington responded with a 56-yard kickoff return
that gave the Niners good starting field position. They parlayed it into a
14-yard Bruce Gossett field goal early in the second quarter. That was it for
the scoring until near the end of the period when Gossett added another field
goal, from 37 yards, that narrowed the tally to 7-6 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Vikings capitalized on an
interception by Siemon. It set up a 31-yard scoring pass from Tarkenton to WR
John Gilliam. Spurrier, who was clearly struggling, tossed a third interception
and John Brodie began warming up on the sidelines.

Brodie came into the contest with under two minutes
remaining in the third quarter and the 49ers trailing by 17-6. He showed rust
when he threw two interceptions that aborted promising drives. The first series
went 64 yards, starting off with a short completion to Gene Washington, but
ended when FS Paul Krause picked off a pass at the goal line. Following the
second interception, the Vikings were unable to move the ball but Mike
Eischeid’s punt went out of bounds at the San Francisco one yard line.

The 49ers proceeded to drive 99 yards in six plays.
Brodie completed a 12-yard pass to HB John Isenbarger and connected with Gene
Washington for a big 53-yard gain. A throw to Vic Washington moved the ball
eight more yards to the Minnesota 24 and, after another pass was incomplete,
Brodie again connected with Gene Washington, this time for a touchdown.

In response, the Vikings held the ball for over five
minutes before the 49ers regained possession at their 34 following a punt with
1:30 left on the clock. Again Brodie went to the air, hitting RB Larry
Schreiber for nine yards and Vic Washington for eight. A pass interference
penalty on Siemon put the ball at the Vikings’ 26. The 49ers tried a trick play
as Brodie lateraled to Isenbarger, whose long pass was broken up by Krause at
the goal line, and then Schreiber ran for six yards on a draw play. With time
running down, Brodie completed a throw to Vic Washington for an 18-yard gain to
the Minnesota two. Following two more incompletions, Brodie, who was rolling to
his right on third down, found TE Dick Witcher all alone in the end zone for
the go-ahead TD.

The Vikings had time to drive into field goal range and
potentially tie the contest, but Cox’s 43-yard attempt on the last play failed.
The 49ers came away winners by a score of 20-17.

San Francisco outgained the Vikings (383 yards to 273)
and had the edge in first downs (18 to 17). However, the 49ers hurt themselves
with seven turnovers, to two by Minnesota. The Vikings, in turn, hurt
themselves with key penalties – they were flagged six times at a cost of 67
yards, to three penalties called on San Francisco. The Niners also sacked
Tarkenton four times for 48 yards.

John Brodie, in his slightly more than a quarter of
action, completed 10 of 15 passes for 165 yards with two touchdowns and two
interceptions. Steve Spurrier was successful on 7 of 14 throws for 76 yards
with none for scores and three picked off. Gene Washington had a big day with
four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Vic Washington, in addition to
rushing for 43 yards on 10 carries and returning two kickoffs for 78 yards,
also caught four passes for 36 yards. Larry Schreiber was San Francisco’s
leading rusher with 67 yards on 12 attempts.

For the Vikings, Fran Tarkenton completed just 11 of 25
passes for 144 yards with two TDs and two intercepted. John Gilliam caught four
passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Ed Marinaro, the former Cornell star, led
the club with 70 yards on 16 carries and caught three passes for 22 yards and a
TD, but also ran out of bounds on a fourth quarter carry when the Vikings were
trying to run time off the clock. Likewise, Jeff Siemon had a big day on
defense with two interceptions and a fumble recovery, but also was guilty of a
key penalty on San Francisco’s game-winning drive.

“John (Brodie) came off the bench and did a great job,”
said an appreciative Dick Nolan. “I can’t say anything more. He was our shot in
the arm.”

The win clinched San Francisco’s third straight NFC West
title with an 8-5-1 record. Brodie started the Divisional playoff game against
Dallas, which ultimately was lost thanks to an exciting fourth quarter comeback
by the Cowboys. The Vikings ended up in third place in the NFC Central at 7-7.

Adding in his numbers from the early part of the season,
John Brodie completed 70 of 110 passes (63.6 %) for 905 yards with 9 touchdowns
and 8 interceptions. As his late-game heroics against the Vikings showed, he
was capable of outstanding performances during his long, 17-year career with
the 49ers that finally came to an end in 1973. That he could not perform so
well with greater consistency marked the up-and-down nature of his tenure and
kept him from being regarded as a great quarterback.